CPAPtalk.com

lytepole wrote:For those of you that use nasal pillows, What kind of FFM do you keep as a backup during cold season?

I have a p10, my previous mask was a mirage quattro which I kept on the head of the bed for emergencies... however after a year and a half with the p10, the only time I had to resort to the ffm was when I was in the hospital with a NG tube up my nose.

I find, when my head gets stopped up, that the cpap helps me breath, I'll add water to the humidifier (usually I don't use it) and the moist, filtered air seems to help, sometimes, I'll even wear it when awake, just because I can breath better with it.

when my nose gets too stuffy, I'll resort to sudafed and/or nasal sprays for a few days, to sleep.

My worst night yet; I used Flonase on both sides, slapped on a Breathe Right strip, and slept with the mask.
It worked like a charm. A 12 hour pseudo-ephedrine didn't hurt a bit.

I keep on using CPAP, short of something disasterous that requires hospitalization, like say, pneumonia. I use a full face mask and keep that heated humidifier cranked to the max in the cold and flu season and I KNOW continuing to use my APAP has speeded up my ability to overcome colds, flu and sometimes, sinusitis. I say sometimes on the sinusitis because thats a different ball of wax.

Kazak wrote:So the consensus is keep using the CPAP, sick or not.

Absolutely.

I use Mucinex D. It's sold behind the counter at most pharmacies. In most states you have to show your ID to get it. They monitor sales to prevent the next Breaking Bad wannabe from blowing up his trailer cooking meth with the stuff. Anyhow, it is the best OTC for me. Works for 12 hours. Also helps make me sleepy. Although it could have the opposite effect in some, I suppose. I use my FFM 90% of the time due to my high pressure anyway. If it is just a minor flare-up of allergies or a garden-variety cold, I take the low dose of Benadryl. That definitely makes me sleepy, but only works (for me) for about six hours. Whenever I have a cold or bad allergies, my AHI is going to go up no matter what I do, but it is still WAY better than going without. Never sleep without it.

So glad some of you mentioned Breathe Right strips. - something else I can try. I have a VERY angry nose with inflamed middle turbinates. Add a cold to that and I feel like I'm suffocating at night.

I'm on everything right now - mucinex, sudafed, astelin, zetonna, Singulair so happy to get one more idea!

I have found that when I am having coughing issues, I need to raise my minimum pressure a bit so that I can keep my mask on during a cough attack. Otherwise, I feel like I can't get enough air. I do have problems keeping the mask on if I am having sneezing attacks since they can be wet. If I am nauseous and think I might get sick, I will set an alarm for an hour or two and go without the mask. I do not want to puke in my full face mask. But when the alarm goes off, if I am not nauseous anymore, I can put the mask on and go back to sleep. The alarm is to make sure I don't go any longer than necessary without out.

I highly recommend Delsym for coughing. Works for 12 hours. Works like a charm. Now if you have a condition that needs you to "expectorate", you might want to check with your doctor.

I keep an Innomed Hybrid Mask as a back-up for colds, although I get very few colds since I started using my CPAP faithfully every night, right after I came here and got some answers. "Clear" essential oil, placed on a diffuser wafer and set by the intake vent on my machine ( sold by CPAP.com, our host here, helps to keep nose & sinuses open with allergies so I can use the nasal pillow masks.